AARP Texas

P or Thomas Korosec

Though she had a long and successful career, Eva Bonilla was 66 years old when she discovered that she was born to be a tour guide. After retiring, Bonilla volunteered with the Fort Worth City International Board. She served as an ambassador to many international visitors that came to Fort Worth, and fell in love with giving tours. It was not until Bonilla visited an AARP workshop that she felt empowered to pursue her dream of being a tour guide.

By Thomas Korosec

Despite continued suburban sprawl, communities across the nation are taking steps to become better places to live in and age in, according to data analyzed from the newly updated AARP Livability Index. And Austin is being recognized among those cities, joining the Top 10 list for the first time among cities with a population of 500,000 or more.

June is National Great Outdoors Month, a time for observing nature and enjoying our surrounding environments. Beginning as a week-long celebration of nature, we now nationally recognize the beautiful countryside, forests and parks of the United States for the entire month of June. This recognition promotes the splendor of our great outdoors and highlights the labors of those who work to preserve nature in our modern world. It raises the awareness of national policies on nature conservation by highlighting the beauty and health benefits of the natural environment.

Serving in the military is giving yourself to something greater than your own wants and needs. This selflessness protects and serves us all. And while Julia Castellano-Hoyt of San Antonio may not have served in the Women’s Army Corps since 1961, she never stopped having a heart for serving others. To Julia, military service instills a desire to give back throughout one’s life.

Driving, of course, is a big part of life in Texas, including for seniors looking to maintain their independence. Older drivers could particularly see benefits from a new federal requirement mandating rearview cameras in automobiles.

As a passenger on Austin’s Capital Metro buses, I had seen my share of AARP ads: smiling faces and discount offers for people age 50 and over.

Austin-area residents can learn how to decide, discuss and document their end-of-life wishes at two events this month.

Since April, new Medicare cards have been hitting mailboxes to combat fraud. The new cards replace the Social Security numbers with a Medicare number unique to each member. Though removing Social Security numbers is a step in the right direction to fight identity theft, con artists have been using this change as an opportunity to take advantage of unsuspecting Medicare members.